Paul Connolly is an Irish investigative journalist, radio personality, and documentary maker). He is known for hosting the documentary series "Inside the Worlds Toughest Prisons". According to a news article, Paul Connolly was originally charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter, robbery, and forcible confinement in 2018. He was sentenced to 10½ years in prison for his involvement in the manslaughter death of Steven Miller.

It is unclear why Paul Connolly was replaced by Raphael Rowe as the host of "Inside the Worlds Toughest Prisons" after season 1. Neither Paul, Netflix, nor Raphael have publicly discussed why there was a change in hosting. Since he appeared on season 1, Paul has worked on the Facebook Live series "Curse of Akakor".

In 2022, a British drama film called "Big Boys Dont Cry" was released, which part-fictionalizes the life of Paul Connolly. The film is based on his life experience, including being abandoned in a dustbin as a two-week-old baby and later suffering years of abuse at the St Leonards childrens home in Hornchurch, Essex. However, in real life, Paul Connolly never went to prison.